At the start of Fleet Week, the USS New York sails toward Manhattan in the parade of ships. (Staten Island Advance /Landov)

Thank you, New York City, for once again welcoming your United States Navy as only the greatest city in the world can!

In the Navy, we refer to the time granted to our sailors to relax, enjoy themselves and refresh their spirits off the ship as “liberty.” What more fitting location for this opportunity than the home of Lady Liberty herself. I know that the men and women of our Navy will enjoy some of the best liberty of their careers right here in New York City this week.

Whenever I think about our Navy and what we deliver for our nation, the same three words always come to mind: ready, responsive and relevant — and recent events around the world have demonstrated how fundamentally those words apply to this global naval force.

Recently, and with very little advance notice, our ships, aircraft and sailors were placed in position off the coast of Libya, in international waters, to deliver combat power ashore in support of our national objectives, from Tomahawk missile strikes and electronic attack to knock down the Libyan air defense networks to Marines launching a quick reaction mission from one of our amphibious ships — USS Kearsarge — to rescue downed aviators. We continue to support this mission today.

At the very same time, half a world away, the US Navy’s 7th Fleet led the effort delivering humanitarian aid and disaster relief to Japan in response to the devastating earthquake and tsunami, all while providing assistance to help our Japanese allies recover from the nuclear accident that occurred in the wake of the natural disasters. The same words apply in relief efforts for Japan — our sailors and our ships were ready, responsive and relevant.

Looking beyond Libya and Japan, there are currently two Carrier Strike Groups in the Middle East region supporting our operations in Afghanistan and Iraq with a third Carrier Strike Group in the Mediterranean and a fourth crossing the Pacific returning from deployment.

Along with embarked Marines, our amphibious ships and surface combatants are deployed to the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf and the Western Pacific, ready to respond on a moment’s notice to support our nation’s vital interests. Our Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine force is deployed to the Atlantic and Pacific conducting strategic nuclear deterrent patrols 24/7/365, as they have for more than 50 years.

In addition to all of our sailors deployed on ships at sea, your Navy also has over 10,000 sailors on the ground supporting operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. In all, over 55 percent of your Navy is underway or deployed today and one of every seven sailors is on extended deployment away from home executing operations in almost every part of the world.

Our sailors and Marines are the very best of America, drawn from every part of our great nation, and I couldn’t be more proud of them and the job they do carrying out their missions every day. I encourage you to reach out to them, stop them on the street, and talk with them about what they do; let them know that the time they spend away from family and friends does not go unappreciated.

There’s no place like New York City and I know sailors and Marines alike will leave this week with memories to last a lifetime, thanks to you. Thank you, New York!